A playground for all
Elmira family inspires wide range of fundraising to build inclusive place for children to play
ONE OF THE SIMPLE pleasures of being a child is enjoying the neighbourhood playground with friends. But for children with disabilities in Waterloo Region that has not always been easy — at least not until an Elmira family took action.
Kate’s Place For Everyone, in Gibson Park beside John Mahood Public School in Elmira, is the first public accessible playground in the region.
The playground is named in honour of four-year-old Kate Meissner of Elmira, whose mother, Kelly Meissner, has been the tireless force that made this project happen.
Kate was diagnosed at 14 months of age with Angelman syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by severe developmental delay, seizures and difficulty co-ordinating movement.
For children with challenges such as Kate’s, many of the benefits of regular playgrounds are out of reach. Yet these are important benefits — the opportunity for exploration, discovery, social interaction and imaginative play. Playgrounds allow children to test their abilities, learn new skills, make new friends and burn off energy.
Kate’s Place fulfils these needs for children of all abilities with features such as roller slides that reduce static, swings that provide full body support, a sandpit filled with buried treasure, an accessible merry-goround called an omni spin and, new this summer, a sensory wall. >>
>> “Kate loves the roller slide the best,” her mother notes. “She also loves the omni spin and the toddler area in which she can navigate all on her own. She likes the small spinners, but she needs adult assistance for that, and Mommy gets nauseous really quickly on that!”
Kate’s father, Jeremy, says watching his daughter choose what she wants to do on the equipment puts a huge smile on his face. “Her emotions reflect those of all the children I see at the park — joy.”
Jeremy also marvels at his wife’s efforts in pulling the playground together. “Without Kelly’s determination, tenacity and dedication, Kate’s Place would not have happened,” he says, “and I find it hard to think of where we would be without the park.”
Kate’s Place For Everyone, which officially opened on Sept. 29, 2012, is a dream come true for the Meissners. It is also a symbol of community fundraising at its best.
Over the past three years, Kate’s Kause, as the fundraising campaign is known, has raised more than $450,000.
Recent donations came from the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival and the Kate’s Kause Cycling Team, who raised approximately $7,000.
“There are so many great memories from this journey,” says Kelly. “One of them was at the McDonald’s franchise golf tournament in June 2011. They surprised us with a cheque for more than $33,000 in one day.”
The Ontario Trillium Foundation has also helped.
“We were fortunate enough to partner with the Kiwanis Club of Elmira for an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant, and received $149,000 from Trillium,” she says. “The long-awaited sensory wall, the last missing puzzle piece to make this playground complete, will be installed in early summer.”
The sensory wall will provide sensory-rich experiences that stimulate the proprioceptive, vestibular and tactile sensory systems. The structure, which is also a climbing wall, is custom-made for the playground and
will encompass the full range of disabilities. Adorned with art depicting Canadian animals, it will have lots of tactile, visual and auditory experience opportunities.
Aside from the challenges Kate may face, these days she is a cheerful, content child who has surprised everyone with her accomplishments and how independent she has become. “Kate has grown so much, thanks in a huge part to the park,” Jeremy says. “She has gained so many skills and independence. I love going just to see what she will do next.” The family has come a long way in their understanding of Kate’s ability to cope with Angelman’s syndrome. Kate is the Meissners’ second child, and Kelly recalls that during Kate’s first diaper change she noticed that she had a lot of limb movement. She wondered then whether there might be something wrong, but the nurse brushed it off saying the child would be a “mover and a shaker.”
Mother’s intuition told Kelly otherwise and a search for answers began.
“Honestly, it was the testing of AS on June 23, 2010, that rocked me to my core,” Kelly recalls. “I was numb. I was afraid I couldn’t get out of bed the next day. I actually remember getting my feet on the floor and out of bed the morning of June 24, knowing it was monumental that I was even moving forward at all.
“The next six weeks were torture. I knew the result was going to be positive. I spent a lot of time watching Glee late at night at my sister Jenny’s house. But the six weeks gave me time to process it all.
“On Aug. 4 when we got the call, the four of us cried on Kate’s therapy mat. We then took the kids to get their hair cut; it was pre-booked, so we kept our appointment. Life goes on.”
Indeed, rather than dwelling on “why us?” Kelly decided her energy was better spent in a positive way. One way she did that was surfing the Internet to find suitable activities for a child with a disability. It became a coping mechanism as she dealt with Kate’s diagnosis.
“I found an inclusive playground in Texas, and immediately fell in love with the concept, and knew it was exactly what I envisioned for Kate,” she says.
A short time later, Kate’s Kause was launched, and the word spread.
In the months that followed, the demonstrations of support were astounding: individuals, families, groups, schools and corporations all stepped forward with donations, or to participate in fundraising events.
One of the early boosts came in 2011 when Kate’s Kause received $60,000 from Aviva Community Fund, an insurance company’s initiative in which $1 million is shared by community projects through online voting.
Kelly recalls, “Leading up to becoming a finalist was stressful as Bluevale Collegiate, where I teach, lost access to their server two days before the semi-finalists ended. We were losing hundreds of votes per hour. But our school rallied together and students and teachers went home, voted, and spread the word like wildfire.” >>
>> Kate’s Kause finished in eighth place with an overwhelming comeback.
“I knew at that moment that it was no longer about winning funds. Our community was sending us a message of support, encouragement, and they value the importance of inclusion.”
In June 2012 when it was time to assemble the playground equipment, more than 130 people showed up to help under the supervision of the equipment company. Seventy-five were registered, but organizers stopped counting at 130 the day of the build.
Among the individuals instrumental in fundraising has been the Sturgeon family, in particular 11-year-old Aaron.
“When Aaron was eight he came and indicated he wanted to ask people for money for his birthday,” his mother, Barb Sturgeon, says.
“At first I was annoyed and almost flew off the handle – then grief-stricken Aaron grabbed the newspaper article from his back pocket and showed it to me. ‘This is why Mom, I want to buy Kate a swing.’ My heart melted.”
Aaron is still working on his 2013 list of fundraisers. Friends brought clothing donations for charity and money to his birthday party in March instead of presents, raising $105. Aaron solicited used clothing, bedding, belts, purses, shoes and drapes for a Bags2School collection. When the Bags2School truck went to the Sturgeon home on May 2, the family’s garage was jam packed with more than 350 bags. This translated into another $145.
Along with the clothing drive, the Sturgeons have also organized events such as a garage sale, a lemonade stand and an Epicure party.
So far, over the past three years, their efforts have netted a grand total of $1,180.
It takes a significant amount of time to plan and design the ideal inclusive playground. Accessible playgrounds are not just for children with mobility difficulties.
Meissner says, “It’s been my experience that when people think of accessibility,
they think about physical access. In reality, physical disabilities are only one type of disability.”
For example, typical plastic slides build up static electricity and can discharge a cochlear implant. Swings that can be used by all abilities include those with full back support and overhead seatbelts for additional support, baby swings and typical swings. One important aspect of Kate’s Place is that it rests on a synthetic rubberized surface. This surface provides a soft surface that cushions a fall, but is still uniform and solid, so as to be easily navigated by a child using a wheelchair, walker or stroller. It benefits children with disabilities, toddlers learning to walk, kids who have seizures and seniors.
While typical playgrounds cost about $50,000 to build, accessible playgrounds can run $150,000 and up. Kate’s Place equipment was supplied by ABC Recreation Ltd. in Paris, Ont., which specializes in inclusive playgrounds. ABC Recreation’s Tony DeJongh, who worked with the Meissners on their design says, “I’ve been in this business for a long time, and I can honestly say that working on Kate’s Place was by far the best experience I’ve had. Kelly had a clear vision of the design and equipment she wanted. From start to finish, it was a remarkable experience.” Meissner says she was determined to find the best equipment, both in diverse options and longevity, and other bids could not accommodate all the elements.
Kate’s Place has grown in popularity not only among residents of Elmira, but families from other communities who make the trek to play at what many claim is the best playground around.
Elmira resident Sarah Vogel says, “Kate’s Place is a fun place for everyone to enjoy. Even the young at heart. It’s a place which brings the whole community together to play.”
Vogel’s daughter Kaylin, 4, says, “I like seeing everyone playing there.” >>